Triple J Family Farms, a Buffalo Lake, Minn. establishment, is recalling approximately 15,270 pounds of bone-in ribeye products because the vertebral column may not have been completely removed, which is not compliant with regulations that require the removal of vertebral column in cattle 30 months of age or older, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The products subject to recall are:
• Approx. 40-lb boxes of "BEEF B/I RIB," bearing any of the following case codes: "91-R109H-C," "91-R109H-S," "91-R109H-C-SB," or "91-R109H-S-SB."
The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "EST.17466" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were produced and packaged on various dates between Feb. 8, 2013, and March 21, 2013, and were distributed to an FSIS-inspected establishment in New York for further processing and distribution.
The problem was discovered by FSIS during a routine specified risk material (SRM) verification and may have occurred as a result of a recent change in the company's carcass separation practices. Vertebral column is considered a SRM and must be removed from cattle of 30 months of age or older in accordance with FSIS regulations. SRMs are tissues that may contain the infective agent in cattle infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), as well as materials that are closely associated with these potentially infective tissues. Therefore, FSIS prohibits SRMs from use as human food to minimize potential human exposure to the BSE agent. There is no indication that any of the cattle slaughtered displayed any signs of BSE.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.
Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company's HR and Office Manager, Kendra Williams, at (320) 833-2001. Media with questions about the recall should contact the company's QA Manager, Russell Harris, at (320) 833-0107.
